April 11, 2007: Obama on why Don Imus should have been fired for uttering the phrase “nappy-headed hos” during a single, spontaneous riff on a radio show:

“He didn't just cross the line. He fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America.

The notions that as young African-American women — who I hope will be athletes — that that somehow makes them less beautiful or less important.

It was a degrading comment. It's one that I'm not interested in supporting."

"What we've been seeing around this country is this constant ratcheting up of a coarsening of the culture that all of have to think about.".

“As a culture, we really have to do some soul-searching to think about what kind of toxic information are we feeding our kids."

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3031317&page=1

March 18, 2008: Obama on the prepared remarks of Reverend Wright, whose church Obama attended for 20 years, who married Obama and his wife, and who baptized Obama’s daughters:

“we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.”

“Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely.”

“But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial.... Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America.”

“Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems.”

So Imus, who peddles “toxic information,” “stereotypes,” and “degrading comment[s],” should be deprived of his livelihood. While Reverend Wright, who peddles in “incendiary language,” a “profoundly distorted view of this country,” “racially charged” remarks, and views that “rightly offend white and black alike,” gets the honor of baptizing Obama’s daughters.

ABC News took a closer look at the Barack Obama speech on race yesterday and found curious discrepancies from past positions. Brian Ross and Avni Patel also note similar contradictions in Obama’s positions on Tony Rezko. It looks like some of the media has finally begun vetting the Democratic front-runner for the nomination:

Buried in his eloquent, highly praised speech on America’s racial divide, Sen. Barack Obama contradicted more than a year of denials and spin from him and his staff about his knowledge of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s controversial sermons.